The 50th anniversary of the election and inauguration of President John F. Kennedy was celebrated with the observation of JFK50, two events in the Ruth Haas Library on the Midtown campus.

On November 9, 2010, the anniversary of Kennedy’s election, former Danbury Mayor James E. Dyer, a collector of Kennedy memorabilia since the age of 10, showed authentic campaign and inauguration artifacts, Kennedy election fliers, JFK autographs and other items.

On Feb. 3, 2011, Dyer displayed inaugural memorabilia and gave a talk about his recollections of Kennedy, followed by a lecture by several faculty members about Kennedy's influence on the country.

“This collection has been fun to compile over the years and has historical significance,” Dyer said. “I met a lot of wonderful people at collection shows, including Caroline Kennedy and John F. Kennedy Jr. at Municipal Arts Society of New York events. It’s been an exciting dance with history.”